


If I Should Stay

by withdiamonds



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-13
Updated: 2012-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-31 03:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/339132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withdiamonds/pseuds/withdiamonds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coda for 2.15 <i>Mai Ka Wa Kahiko.</i>  Danny takes his family home, and then goes home to his family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I Should Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Shoot the Curl, for the prompt "I will always love you," by the great Whitney Houston.

It feels like they stand outside the storage unit forever, Danny with Rachel and Gracie wrapped tight and protected in his arms. The tears on Grace's face reflect the red and blue lights of the emergency response vehicles gathered around them, and it makes Danny want to shoot Rick all over again.

Only this time he doesn't just want to shoot him in the foot, no, the tears on his daughter's face, the fact that she was _taped to a fucking chair,_ locked in a dark storage unit, his baby girl having to go through such a thing – no, that makes him want to shoot Rick a helluva lot more than once. He wants to take his time, to maybe put a bullet through every bone in Rick's body. 

Danny knows Steve would help him do that, no questions asked. So would any other member of his team.

It would do nothing to lessen the rage burning through Danny at this moment.

He's trembling with it, and Grace tightens her grip around his neck. 

"Danno?"

"Shh, Monkey, I've got you, it's okay, I'm sorry." He's been saying the same thing over and over again since Steve cut her loose from that goddamned chair. His voice is wrecked.

Rachel's sobbing softly, and Danny slides Grace over into her arms, lets her feel for herself that Grace is safe and alive.

And the whole time, Steve is there, a solid and reassuring presence at his back.

Eventually, Danny stops shaking long enough to get Rachel and Grace in the Camaro. Rachel wants to go to the hospital to see Stan, and Danny can't really object to that.

When they get there, the staff is preparing to take Stan into surgery to remove the bullet Danny put in his shoulder. Nobody seems to be holding that against him, and Danny can't help but feel a little surprised about that.

"Don't you dare be sorry, Daniel," Rachel says fiercely. "You did what you had to do to save Grace's life."

Stan nods in agreement, but he's doped up on morphine or something equally mind-altering, and Danny's not sure he's going to be so forgiving when he comes out on the other side of having a bullet dug out of his person.

They wheel Stan off to the OR, and Danny goes to find vending machine coffee for him and Rachel and some hot chocolate for Grace.

Grace is exhausted and wants to go home, so as soon as the doctor comes to tell them Stan is going to be fine, Danny drives his family home.

It's not nearly as late as it feels, and the babysitter is just putting the baby down when they get there. Danny carries a sleeping Grace into the house and up to her room.

He settles her on the bed, taking off her shoes and pulling a quilt up over her shoulders. His eyes burn as he brushes her hair off her face and places a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Danno loves you," he whispers.

He turns to find Rachel watching him from the doorway, her eyes full of love and something that looks like regret.

The love has always been there, but he knows now the regret was there for longer than he wanted to admit.

"Thank you," she says. Danny nods. It's never going to be necessary to thank him for doing whatever he has to in order to keep Grace safe, and Rachel knows that, so he doesn't say anything.

"You should go. I'm sure Commander McGarrett is waiting for you." Rachel's smile is tender and rueful at the same time. She looks over at their daughter, sleeping safe and peaceful. "She'll be fine."

"I know." Danny swallows past the sudden lump in his throat and wraps his arms around Rachel. "I know," he says into the soft skin of her neck.

The house is quiet when Danny lets himself in, and he heads out the back door and down to the beach. Steve is sprawled in one of the beach chairs, and there's a beer waiting for Danny next to the other.

They don't say anything. Danny lets go, lets himself breath for the first time since today turned into one of the worst days of his life.

Thanking Steve for what he and the team did to find Rick and save Grace is as unnecessary as Rachel thanking Danny, so he doesn't do it. For all his use of words, Danny doesn't actually need them with Steve, not for the important things.

He clutches Steve's hand, lets Steve's thumb rubbing circles on the inside of his wrist soothe him.

Danny doesn't notice his face is wet until a cool breeze off the ocean makes him realize. He ignores it, doesn't care, and he just keeps breathing, Steve silent at his side.


End file.
